THE NATION | IN BRIEF / GEORGIA

Patrick Ewing Testifies at Strip Bar Owner's Trial

Basketball star Patrick Ewing testified that he twice received sexual favors from dancers at an Atlanta strip club while the owner and manager watched.

Prosecutors say Gold Club owner Steve Kaplan used the lure of sex to attract pro athletes and celebrities, cheated customers on their credit card bills and funneled cash to New York's Gambino crime family. He and six others are charged with obstruction of justice, credit card fraud, loan-sharking and other offenses.

Ewing said he first visited the club in 1996. He said he was escorted to a VIP room and Kaplan and the club manager came in to meet him with the dancers.